For Page Called Acorn Workshop Design

For page called … ACoRN Workshop Design

The ACoRN Education Program customizes the ACoRN Workshop to the participating site and practitioners by using the needs assessment tools.

Each workshop is built upon a core content foundation and is delivered in keeping with adult education principles, preferably to interprofessional healthcare teams by aninterprofessional instructor team.

The ACoRN workshop is designed to complement the ACoRN Textbook.

ACoRN workshops are interactive and utilize case-based learning and/or practice stations to apply the concepts and skills presented in the textbook.

The workshops provide a thorough understanding of the ACoRN Process and application of the eight Sequences and are consistent across the education programs.

Workshop pre-requisites

Are there pre-requisites to participate in an ACoRN workshop?

ACoRN assumes familiarity with the AAP/AHA Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) at the provider level. A brief review of core knowledge and skills in neonatal resuscitation is integrated into the ACoRN Textbook and may be included in the workshop.

Who Can Participate in an ACoRN Workshop?

ACoRN is specifically designed to meet the needs of any health-care practitioner who may be faced with an at-risk or unwell baby in the first few hours or days after birth.

Like neonatal resuscitation, stabilization is most effective when performed by a coordinated interprofessional team. The workshops should encourage interprofessional participation to increase learning effectiveness.

Learner Preparation

Prior to attending an ACoRN workshop, each participant requires an ACoRN Textbook and specific information outlining course preparation requirements.

In preparation for an ACoRN workshop, participants are asked to review sections of the ACoRN textbook pertaining to the workshop being offered.

This preparation includes a thorough understanding of Chapter 1 and a review of the eight Sequences as they apply to the professional roles, responsibilities and level of training of the learners. A sample information letter can be found asan appendixto this ACoRN Instructor Guide.

The intent is not for the participants to memorize all the content in the textbook. Nor is it feasible to teach all the material included in the textbook in one educational session. Instead, it is intended that participants learn to use the textbook as a resource.

Each participant therefore requires their own manual for study and reference.

ACoRN textbooks can be ordered by individuals and instructors through regional perinatal programs, organizations providing outreach education, and many university bookstores.

Needs Assessment

Identification of the learning needs of participants is important to the adult learning process.

Administration of a prior-learning assessment tool assists the ACoRN Instructor Team tailor the design of each workshop to the needs of the interprofesional participants, whether they practice in a rural, community or secondary/tertiary hospital setting.

Identification of Institutional objectives

The learning needs of practitioners and institutional resources available in a small rural centre can be very different from those working in a secondary/tertiary hospital.

The ACoRN Education Program has found the following institutional assessments very helpful in designing ACoRN Workshops

Identification of institutional objectives

Site visit

Review of available resources

Review of communication within and between institutions.

Review of transport data.

Review of provincial or regional databases.

Workshop Materials

TheSample Workshop Checklist contains a reminder of the education supplies required for a workshop.

ACoRN laminates and dry erasemarkersallow real-time use of the Primary Survey and Sequences when discussing clinical cases during the workshops.

ACoRN workshops are intended to be primarily a hands-on, case-based learning. Clinical cases are liberally used during workshop’s practice sessions. They are designed to allow the ACoRN learners the opportunity to practice each of the sequences at least once.

Qualified local and invited experts should be asked to contribute to the case-based component and skill stations.

A standardized set of ACoRN Slides has been developed to assist in providing adidactic introduction to the ACoRN Process, Sequences and skills.

Local information regarding Transport andSupport should be developed by the instructor team or regional outreachprograms to reflect regional/provincial practices.

The ACoRN slides should be presented by accredited ACoRN Instructors only.

Slides can be modified only to change the cases. Core information cannot be altered.

Self-Tests are learning and evaluation tools which are administered and reviewed during the workshop. These may also be administered as take-home ‘tests’, and reviewed in classroom the following day, or after course completion.

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ACoRN Resources

The Appendix contains sample tools which can be used in planning ACoRN courses. For example:

Institutional needs assessment

Participant needs assessments

Sample participant invitation and registration confirmation letters

Pre and post questionnaires

Sample agendas

Self–test (Note: please do not distribute prior to the program. The self-tests are collected by the instructors at the end of the review)

Workshop evaluation.

Additional resources are available for recognized ACoRN instructors via the ACoRN website ( For example:

ACoRN laminates

ACoRN database

ACoRN workshop attendance card

ACoRN instructor updates

ACoRN Resources

The Appendix contains sample tools which can be used in planning ACoRNcourses. For example:

Institutional and participant needs assessments